


Living Mountain

by ThymeTraveler



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Crack Treated Seriously, F/M, Female Bilbo, Sorry Not Sorry, The Lonely Mountain, The Lonely Mountain is Alive and Not Happy, The Lonely Mountain likes Bilbo, The One Ring - Freeform, possibly crack, possibly fix-it fic, the Arkenstone is a tricky fish, the ring is a creepy bastard, thorin will count this as a bad day
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-01
Updated: 2015-01-26
Packaged: 2018-02-27 16:56:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2700374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThymeTraveler/pseuds/ThymeTraveler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Lonely Mountain has had a very long time to plot its revenge...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Bella could do aught but stare into the blackness of the passage. “Something doesn’t feel quite right.”

Kili gave her a funny look. “What d’you mean?”

“The mountain. Something feels off.”

“That would be the dragon.” There was Bofur, being his usual unhelpful self.

Bella wanted to stamp her foot in frustration. “No. It’s not just the dragon. There’s something else…”

Balin stood at her elbow, Thorin hovering and torn at her other side. “You don’t have to do this, lass.”

She shook herself. She had one job to do, been brought along for a singular purpose. “No, Balin. I signed the contract, I will do this.”

She took one last look at the company, at the friends that had become almost closer than family. She should say something, couldn’t leave it like this if… “It’s… It’s been an absolute privilege.”

She gave each dwarf a fond, final glance, each as precious as the last. Her eyes began to burn, but she refused to cry. Not now. Tears would do her no good.

“Balin? Could you show me the path?”

“Of course, lass.”

She turned to leave, felt a hand on her arm. Looking back, she found Fili and Kili with twin mournful looks. Valar above, she would not weep! “Yes, boys?”

“…Promise you’ll come back.” Fili had the look of a man clutching with all his might to his dignity. Kili had no such compunction and dove into his words.

“Uncle… Uncle Thorin will be angry if you don’t.” Bella felt her eyes twitch to Thorin, who looked extremely uncomfortable, but oddly…hopeful? His voice sent skitters down her spine.

“I will be wroth indeed, Master Hobbit. Miss Baggins. Bella.”

“Oh, bother it all.” Before she could think better of it, Bella darted forward and touched her lips to Thorin’s. A last bit of warmth before the deep dark cold of the mountain. His arms closed around her and clutched at her, like they had at the Carrock. He was shaking slightly, though that might have been her when she hugged him back just as tightly.

“I can give no promises…”

She backed away and placed a finger on his lips to stop the whisper. “We will speak of this when…when I return. Make no mistake.”

He nodded, once, his eyes burning into hers. She would come back, if just for this.

“Balin.” She turned away before she lost her nerve completely. And followed Balin down into the depths.

 

The odd feeling only grew stronger the deeper the two went into the mountain. They spoke at first of unimportant things that Bella could not remember, but eventually their voices fell away. Then, Balin stopped.

“Balin?”

“I should go no further, lassie.” Blast and Damn, she was a grown woman. She would not cry!

“Oh.” She gulped against the stone in her throat. Balin made to retreat up the passage, but paused.

“…Thank you, lass.”

That startled her. “What-What for?”

“Your extraordinary courage. The courage of a hobbit is no little thing, always surprising in its depth and mystery.”

“Oh. Oh, Balin…”

He patted her on the shoulder. “I would extend congratulations to you. Thorin is a fine dwarrow, despite his flaws. I am glad he found you before… I am glad.”

Though he had only succeeded in making her feel worse, Bella smiled at the old dwarf. “Thank you, Balin. I will never forget you.”

“And I will never forget you and your courage, Dwarf Friend.” Then, he was gone.

And Bella was alone, in the stillness and the darkness. A thought occurred to her then. No, she was not alone. Her friends were always with her. And, of course, Smaug was down here somewhere. If he was indeed alive. She barely stifled the hysterical laugh bubbling up her throat. It would not do to be caught now. They were so close…

If the faint thrumming of the very stone in the walls was any indication, she was sure Smaug was very much alive. Great Yavanna, what was she going to do!?

She spent a moment, or several, wracking her brain. She honestly hadn’t given this particular part of the quest much thought, what with it being hard enough to get the Company here in the first place!

…Her ring. Her little golden ring. Now was as good a time as any to put it, and her quiet Hobbit feet, to good use.

She slipped it on and shivered. She hadn’t used the ring in several weeks, and she had almost forgotten the icy cold of the world of the ring. Nothing else for it…

She turned the corner and felt her jaw drop. She hadn’t expected anything like this.

The cavern was enormous, but the sheer volume of treasure left her flabbergasted. A Elbereth, this was ridiculous! How in the name of the Valar was she supposed to find one glowing stone in this mess!? And where was Smaug? She could not see the dragon, still hadn’t the slightest inkling of how big he actually was. Definitely not good. Blast and Bother, this was not helping.

The odd feeling reached a fever pitch, beating at her eardrums in silence. Pressing at her, like being back in the river in Mirkwood. Except this was still and all-encompassing, like a thick blanket in winter. Bella could barely breathe, the world of the ring had not been like this before.

Gathering herself, she made for a spot where the thrumming was stronger, but froze. Maybe this was the life-force of Smaug, his presence.

No, this force did not feel like flame. Where was it coming from?

Bella almost did not notice the shifting of the gold, but glittering, sliding mounds shifted to reveal a dark red hide, the color of old blood. Scales that shone like the hoard itself, studded with gems and gold pieces, creating a massive coat of armor that no one could pierce. Despair visited her then, there was no way to destroy Smaug the Terrible.

Then, a flash caught her eye. Bright, almost baleful. The feeling grew and grew, drumming painfully in her breast. In a daze, she picked her way down to the clearest bit of floor where a bright, shimmering light beckoned her forward. A part of her screamed that she should not be turning her back on a live dragon! Another, deeper part said _take off the ring and pick up the stone._ There were two presences thrumming at her now, one like knives and screams, the other deep, dark, and solid. She began to forget her own name.

Trapped between titans, she made her choice. She knelt, ripped off the ring, and picked up what could only be the Arkenstone.


	2. Chapter 2

The first inkling that Thorin and the Company had that something had gone terribly wrong, the mountain itself began to shake and Bifur collapsed. He’d always been sensitive to the earth and stone, made him a good miner. Now he was overwhelmed. The mountain itself was _screaming, writhing, fighting…fighting what?_

Bofur and Bombur stood over their cousin, while the rest of the company of dwarves dithered. Thorin looked to Balin, who was pale and trembling next to Dwalin, also pale but tense and watchful instead.

“Balin, could she have…”

The older son of Fundin cut through Thorin’s question. “I’m not sure, it doesn’t sound like Smaug…”

A roar like thunder smote the air, a single terrifying jolt shook the mountain once more and then went still. In the sudden silence, Thorin heard his own heart beating out a frantic pattern. Once, twice, thrice. _Ba-dum._

“Uncle, what now? What if she…” Kili’s voice wavered, as if afraid something would be disturbed by the breaking of the all-powerful silence settling over the Company. Thorin looked from face to face, cataloging the emotions he saw there.

Bofur and Bombur, trying to calm Bifur while trying not to lose faith, lose hope for their Burglar.

Oin and Gloin, grim and quiet.

Nori, Dori, and Ori looked torn, she was kin, she was family, how could they leave her now?

Balin and Dwalin, wan but firm.

Fili and Kili, terrified, worried, already beginning to grieve the sister they had just barely begun to know.

He made his choice.

“We wait.”

As it turned out, they didn’t wait very long. Maybe an hour after the mountain fell silent, Ori turned to look at the door and yelped. Every head whipped around to look, and there she stood, breathing hard and trembling, her clothes singed and torn, and her wild hair fallen out of Fili and Kili’s careful braids. Thorin could not move, could not think, he could only gaze at her in wonder and no small bit of fear. The moment of silence stretched on, no one seemed willing to speak. Finally, Thorin could not stand the silence any longer, swallowing hard in an attempt to clear his suddenly dry mouth.

“Bella?”

She breathed out in a petrified sound, halfway between a laugh and a sob. “I-I did it.”

“Bella, what happened? Were you seen? Did you see…” Thorin moved closer, unable to look away, watching her every move as a chill crept down his spine. Bella fidgeted, tension in every muscle of her tiny swaying body, wringing her hands, which Thorin realized were covered in what looked like- On closer look, there were patches of dark color elsewhere on her person and they were growing steadily…

“I-oh, blast-I think I…I can’t remember what I…actually did, but… I think I-I killed Smaug.”

Thorin could not help it, especially since he saw many of the others out of the corner of his eyes become slack-jawed and staring. “ _What?”_

“Oh, _hell._ ” Almost before Thorin could move again, Bella’s eyes rolled back into her head and she dropped, limp and bleeding to the ground. By sheer luck, he managed to halt her fall, cursing loudly.

“Oin!” The mostly deaf dwarf appeared at Thorin’s elbow.

“Already here, lad. Gloin, get a fire going. She needs a place to lie down.”

Thorin looked up from his precious burden. “Fili, Kili, set up some of the bedrolls.”

Despite not receiving orders, the rest of the dwarves quickly set up camp, while Oin tended their obviously injured companion. Shooed away by the healer, Thorin threw himself into helping the others. The Doorstep, as Bofur and Bella had jokingly called the ledge the night before, had some protection against the wind, but Thorin directed the construction of a lean-to. Hopefully, it would lend more protection for its precious occupant.

There was little conversation, the harsh reality of the moment impressing itself on the Company. There was much rousting in packs, trying to collect up enough herbs and remedies from where they had been hidden in small, inconspicuous pockets. Tense, jerking movements that may have become full arguments another day were ignored. Their Burglar, their Hobbit, their _friend_ , close as kin, was injured and no one could really explain it.

Was she telling the truth? Had she killed the dragon? How? How in Mahal’s Halls had she done it, if she had indeed done it? Was the mountain even safe? What in the name of the Valar was going on?

The uncertainty weighed heavily on the dwarves, who were used to mysteries and the like but this particular instance had much more of an instant impact on their daily lives than wondering what Mahal’s Halls actually were like.

Several moments into the hubbub, Oin spoke. “Dori, Bombur, could use a hand.”

The hush only grew, as Dori and Bombur hurried over to the lean-to, Oin directing them to hold this and press there. Thorin could do nothing but watch, useless otherwise and it killed him more every moment he wasn’t at her side. Dwalin had forced him to sit on a low boulder on the shelf, out of the way of the work but with a view on the tent where she lay. Oin hadn’t made any sort of announcement of her condition just yet, though the moon had risen long ago.

He shuddered, and felt warmth settle solidly on both sides: Fili and Kili. They sat lower than him, leaning their heads on his knees, as they hadn’t done since they had been very small. Thorin felt himself falling into old patterns, placing his hands on their heads in an old gesture of reassurance.

“Uncle…” Kili’s tone was more of a question than anything else, while Fili remained silent, small shudders telling his true fears. Thorin could find no words, continuing to hate himself for failing to be useful to her, or to anyone. It took several long moments before Thorin could even begin.

_To have gotten this far, and somehow, somehow, have regained the mountain- his homeland, his birthright- and lose her?_

It was more than he could stand.

“She will live, _namadul_. She will.” Thorin put as much determination as he could in those words, willing them to be true. He had to believe she would live. He could not think otherwise.

**Author's Note:**

> Working on the next bit, trying not leave you guys hanging.


End file.
